Puro donation protects cloud forest in Honduras

Puro Fairtrade Coffee, a long standing supporter of World Land Trust (WLT), has contributed funds to secure an area of cloud forest measuring 181 acres (73 hectares) inside the Volcán Pacayita Reserve of western Honduras.

The total area saved comprises two properties. Funds for the purchase were donated by Puro with a contribution from the local water boards.

The combined properties comprise primary cloud forest within the nucleus of the Volcán Pacayita Reserve and protects fresh water sources for several Lencas indigenous communities within the buffer zone of the Pacayita Reserve and in the Sensenti Valley.

Once the purchases are complete, the Municipality of San Marcos Ocotepeque will own the land title.

The municipality and AESMO will then implement a management plan to conserve the biodiversity and watersheds of the Volcán Pacayita Reserve. The community water boards of San Juan and La Tejera are supporting the management plan, which includes employing a ranger and a coordinator for the Environmental Municipal Unit.

To complement conservation measures in Volcán Pacayita Reserve, AESMO plans to develop an environmental education programme with the local communities and in coordination with the municipality.

AESMO recommended the site as a priority purchase because it is an important first step towards establishing the Pital-Celaque sub corridor within the larger Montecristo Corridor, which includes other sub corridors in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

Threats to biodiversity

Biodiversity in Volcán Pacayita Reserve is particularly threatened by the illegal extraction of plants, timber and wildlife.

Agriculture is expanding and the number of grazing dairy cattle is increasing, which erodes the forest and contaminates soils and water. Roads and settlements are also spreading, and until now there have been no municipal protected areas or management agreements.

The purchase and longterm protection of this property will halt any further fragmentation of the forest, and allow degraded areas to regenerate naturally. It will also contribute to the wider conservation efforts within the Trifinio Region, the tri-border area of three countries: Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

Species diversity

The reserve will provide a haven for rare and endemic birds such as the Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), which is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, Plain Chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) and Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus).

Mammals include Oncilla or Tiger Cat (Leopardus tigrinus), which is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and Pacayita Reserve provides good habitat for one of the few Puma(Felis concolor) populations found in western Honduras.

The venomous Pit Viper (Atropoides species, probably Atropoides nummifer) is also present and it is likely that the rare Guatemalan Spikethumb Frog (Plectrohyla guatemalensis), listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, may also be found within the Volcán Pacayita Reserve. Due to the lack of biological surveys, it is likely that these forests contain many other vulnerable species, particularly amphibians.

More information

Note: This page has been updated since it was first published in March 2014. Due to mapping revisions, the figure for the total area purchased and protected has been adjusted. The page was revised and republished on 17 December 2014.

WLT supports conservation in Honduras with funding for a ranger - Carlos Ardón - through the Keepers of the Wild appeal. News from Carlos »

WLT’s corporate supporters provide a significant income for WLT’s land purchase and protection projects. By making a donation to the Trust, WLT’s supporters demonstrate their corporate social responsibility and a commitment to the environment. How to become a WLT corporate supporter »

Comments

Well done Puro ! A superb investment in natural wealth, with benefits far and wide.

Puro's Coffee drinkers will savour their beverage all the more completely, knowing that this company acts in ways so very different from certain other transnational corporate coffee sellers. A difference which will make the taste all the more satisfying.

And let's hope the people of Honduras enjoy the benefits of an increasing realisation of the biological wealth within their surviving forests. A wealth which is so very much more valuable in the short and long term, than timber exports and exotic wildlife 'trading' where only a vicious undeserving elite really make any money (and which usually ends up in Miami or Singapore anyway etc).

Puro is to be congratulated for its clear thinking, something I find coffee really helps with!

Well done Puro! Great to see you putting your money where your latte is!
It's also interesting to see a corporate sponsor working in a specific area. I wonder if any of the WLT's other corporate sponsors will take up the challenge?

During a field visit last year I could see that a lot needs to be done in Honduras and its neighbouring countries. So much pressure on the forests, such high fragmentation. I've seen firsthand how much passion and effort AESMO staff is putting in to conserve what is left. Well done Puro, well done WLT to support their commitment!

Thank you for your comment. Sorry, we are unclear whether you are asking WLT or AESMO for help with this monitoring. You can find out more about WLT's criteria for funding in the "about" section on our website but you will see that our funding is mostly for land aquisition projects which we fund through our incountry partners, such as AESMO. If you would like to provide us with more more information you can email the Programmes Team on the following email address projects@worldlandtrust.org and we will be happy to discuss further or recommend other contacts you might find helpful.